Don't Shave Your Edges in Hopes it Will Regrow Hair

Tuesday, October 3, 2017

First, let's discuss why edges can disappear. For black women, the two most common reasons are chemically, like chemical burns from relaxers or perms, or manually, like braids being installed too tight and pulling the hair from the follicle. In both cases, consistent and regular use, especially regular damage, is going to thin out the hair, eventually causing baldness, and in some cases, depending on the duration and severity of damage, it may be permanent.

If you happen to have thin or nonexistent edges because of this, and you want to regrow them, it can take a long time, like months to upwards of a year or more. Why? Because the amount of damage done to the scalp is such that it will take awhile for it to get back to where it was before the damage. And even if visually it looks like it has healed, the layers of skin under the surface may still need time to fully heal.

Okay, so let's discuss this video. I watched it from beginning to end, and the biggest thing that stuck out was that she admitted she wasn't consistent and expected results rather quickly.

First, if you have thin and nonexistent edges, whatever you're doing, you need to be consistent with it. And the most important thing you should be doing is stopping whatever caused your edges to thin. So, if it's braids, relaxers, really tight buns, weaves, etc. Just stop doing them. Your scalp needs time to heal, and if you're just going to keep damaging hair, you're not going to see any progress. Second, while stopping whatever you were doing, you need to start implementing a good hair care regimen. Making sure to moisturize your edges is going to be huge. The hairline tends to be finer and weaker than the rest of the hair, so keeping it moisturized is key.

The second thing she said in the video was that she was expecting results quickly. Remember when I said it can take over a year to regrow your edges...yeah. Depending on the duration and severity of the damage, it may take over a year for your scalp to heal and for your hair to grow again. Be patient, very patient. It's also important to note that if the damage is really bad, you may never grow hair there again, without medical intervention (i.e. hair implants).

In regards to applying castor oil or using onion juice, they're not necessary. They may help speed up the healing process, but if the hair can grow, it will grow eventually.

Also, just really quickly, cutting your hair doesn't make it grow faster. This is a myth. When you compare no hair to, even marginally, more hair, it's going to seem like a lot and it's growing fast. When really, it's a normal amount that would be missed if your hair was longer. This is why I only do length checks, at the soonest, every three months, preferably every six months. 1/4 inch of hair when you're waist length isn't going to be noticeable, but 1/4 inch of hair when you're bald is shocking.

To close, if you want to regrow your edges, you don't need to shave your head. You can if you want; it will give you a fresh start, but it's not necessary. Just, like with everything I say, focus on good hair care.

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